Floor covering and process of preparing the same



Oct. 1, 1929.

R. G. JACKSON 1,729,834

FLOOR COVERING AND PROCESS OF PREPARING THE SAHE Filed June 192 7 5' cadmva "ff... 5 FiPE/E JLOO/(S 4 coir/ma Patented Oct. 1, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLOOR COVERING AND PROCESS OF PREPARIN THE SAME Application filed June 6,

This invention relates to floor coverings and to a process of making the same.

The floor covering provided by the present invention is of that general type known as smooth surface coverings, such as linoleum and felt base floor coverings-having decorative paint coats, and the invention is an improvement over such materials known as bitumen impregnated felt base coverings, linoleums, oil cloth and the like.

One feature of the invention is a decorative floor covering of the smooth surface type in which v the decorative effects, patterns, and designs are applied directly to the material of the base and penetrate the base for part or all the way through the thickness thereof from top to bottom. Another feature of the invention is that the covering "possesses tensile strength to a pronounced degree, and may be handled similarly to the usual smooth surface floor covering.

One particular feature of this invention, along with the bioad idea of subsequently saturating a porous or fibrous sheet which contains decorations in it, is the provision of an inlaid floor covering in which the decorative layer is composed of a plurality of matched and fitted elements, each consisting of pa per-like material which contains coloring matter substantially through the thickness thereof, or which is impregnated with a coloring medium substantially through the thickness thereof, and which subsequently is saturated with a transparent saturant filling material which when relatively dry seals the coloring matter in the elements and renders each element tough and flexible and resistant to floor covering usage. Such an inlay type of covering provides wearing qualities comparing favorably with the highest grade of inlaid linoleum. The possibilities of this type of floor covering from an artistic standpoint have a much wider field than is open to the usual inlaid linoleum type of coverin The matched pieces in the covering of this present invention may contain fine line and delicate effects, and the elements may be cut from previously prepared decorated sheet material and thereafter assembled. or the elements in undecorated form may be first as-.

1927. Serial No, 196,813.

sembled, then decorated, and then saturated. In accordance with a modified treatn'ient previously decorated elements may be saturated and then mounted on a supporting base, or the elements may be first mounted on the supporting base and subsequently saturated.

()ne advantageous feature of the product of this invention is the provision in a single continuous ply or layer of floor covering of decorative elt'ects similar in appearance to those used in linoleums and felt base goods, but having superior wearing quality due to the fact that the design extends into the base. This latter quality is in contrast to decorative etl'ects which are merely painted on the surface or printed with paint on the surface, or consisting of ordinary paper merely printed usual, as wall paper is printed and subsequently varnished or lacquered. The product of this invention is to be distinguished from the usual paper decorated by printin In usual printing operations the work is so conducted as to preclude as far as possible any substantial penetration by the ink into the body of the paper. To such end most paper used in printing contains sizing or a filling material to prevent absorption of the printing ink. The surface of such paper is often calendered smooth and tight in order to present a satisfactory finish to receive ink 0 from the printing type. Contrasted to such standard print paper, the material preferred for use in this invention is purposely selected for its fibrous qualities. These are absorbent papers, such as blotting paper and other especially manufactured absorbing papers which are not connnercially desirable for printing purposes. Contrasted to printing practice, in this invention the decoration or figures will extend well below the surface of the sheet. In other words, the sheet may be worn down well below the original surface but the figure or decoration will still remain in the sheet.

The product possesses the appearance of linoleum and is susceptible to treatment to produce much finer and more delicate designs than is possible in the manufacture of linoleum type goods. Unlike linoleum, the entire decorative portion possesses strength L with a nitrocellulose lacquer and then calendered has as much or more wear to it as the best printed felt base rugs purchasable at this stage inthe'ar't.

Of major importance is the feature which provides a rug or floor coveringin which the coloring or decoration is sealed in the fibrous material ofthe covering by the same impregnatingsaturant which provides the toughness and wearing qualities so desirable in floor coverings. According to this important feature the fibrous sheet is first decorated or colored and thereafter it is saturated with a water proof transparent saturant which not only seals the color and decoration in place but Waterproofs the sheet and also binds the fibers of the sheet, toughens it, and makes it wear resistant.. The sheet is preferably calendered while yet the saturant is in a plastic condition and this treatment insures thorough saturation for the sheet. All the pores and spaces between the fibers are filled and the particles are bonded together and will not scuff off under floor usage.

The decorating of the fibrous base, preliminary to the saturating treatment, may be accomplished in several ways. By one procedure, the color may be added to the paper pulp while it is in the heaters and thus prior to the actual formation of the sheet. In this way a solid color base may be obtained. The color materials added at the beaters may be either a dye or pigment, provided that if pigment be used it is not of such amount or nature as to fill the spacgs between the fibers and thus prevent adequate saturation by the subsequently applied toughening transparent saturant. The solid color effects may also be obtained by printing with surface contact application to the sheet of a penetrating dye or stain which will saturate the sheet throughout.

Decorative designs are applied by print ng and stenciling in restricted zones according to the configuration of the desired design, and multiple color effects are obtained, as will be described. 7

Multiple layers or a single layer may be used in the product of this invention. For example, a singlefthickness of fibrous base may be decorated either while in the beater stage, or. by printing or dyeing after the sheet is formed and subsequently. saturated in accordance with the details of my. applications for patent Serial No. 46,189, filed July 25, 1925 and Serial No. 111,769, filed scribed in my application Serial No. 196,815

and the sheets on the base may be in solid color or design as desired and wlth the decoration incorporated 1n the sheet and subsequently sealed in accordance with the steps hereinafter described and claimed.

Inlaid-eifects can be obtained by printing, as described, or by cutting sheets of felt into figures or shapes which can be arranged in desired designs similar to inlaid linoleum. These figures would be formed on a back ground such as a sheet of water proof felt or burlap. After they have been placed on the background and secured with a glue or cement, the entire sheet may be saturated with an impregnating saturant of a transparent material such as a nitrocellulose lacquer. It

is obvious that the figures or shapes maybe cut from previously decorated paper having solid color or special designs, thereafter to be saturated after mounting on the base. It may be also desirable to saturate the sheet previous to placing it on the background or even previous to cutting out the individual shapes and figures. If saturation is done after the sheet is placed on the background it would probably be desirable to use a transparent binder or cement to fill in voids or crevices between the individual pieces or figures. It may also bedesirable to put a layer of transparent wear coating such as a cellulose ester lacquer on the surface of the completed covering, regardless as to how it may be constructed.

Floor coverings having the appearance of soft and velvety effects simulating luxurious carpets and rugs may be obtained by using solid color or design decorated crepe paper the decorative sheet. This sheet of crepe paper is mounted on the usual dense supporting base, as for example a bitumen impregnated felt base. hen saturated and subsequently smoothed on one surface with transparent lacquer, crepe paper, ligl it plain pa per, becomes remarkably durable and compares favorably with the usual painted felt base rug. It, along with other products of this invention, has advantages over the usual painted felt base covering by reason of the fact that more delicate and more artistic effects can be obtained by printing with dyes and penetrating inks than can be obtained by "painting as performed in the preparation of painted felt base rugs. Paint leaves a surface coating which prevents the subsequent saturation, a necessary sequence in the present invention.

This particular invention embodying the use of crepe paper in floor coverings is based on the broad principles described in the foregoing and in my applications for patent Serial 'Nos. 46,189 and 111,769 for the saturating of a sheet which contains in the porous body thereof a decorative or color medium, which latter is sealed in the goods by the saturant filled material.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, there are illustrated diagrammatically floor coverings embodying the use of several types of decorative paper-like materials or supporting bases; All. of these improvements are predicated on the broad idea expressed in my application for patent Serial No. 46,189 and include the feature of saturating with a transparent saturant filling material a previously decorated sheet or a sheet containing coloring matter. Referring the drawing,

Figure 1 illustrates in vertical section 'a floor covering including a base such as the usual bitumen impregnated sheet of felt paper; 2 is a layer of a paper-like sheet which is mounted on the base 1 and held in position in detail to the several views of by any adhesive or cement layer 3; 4 is an upper transparent coating. One of the essentials is. that the sheet 2 shall contain decorative coloring applied after the sheet is formed as by dipping it or printing it, or'colored by the addition of coloring matter while in the heaters and prior to actual formation of the paper sheet. The final essential feature is that-the sheet 2 shall be saturated with a transparent filling material after the coloring matter is present in the sheet, and which saturation step may be effected either before or after the sheet 2 is mounted on the supporting base 1. c

Figure 2 shows-a vertical sectional view illustrating the particular feature claimed specifically as a detail of the present invention.. In this view the decorative wear layer is ofblocks or fitted elements of paper-like material, as for example having a thickness s1milar to blotting paper but in colors and in matched In Figure and .white. r

In Figure 3 there is illustrated a top plan view of the sectional view shown in Figure 2 illustrating a tile-like inlaid effect of alternate white and blue tile elements.

pieces providing an inlay effect. 2 the colors illustrated are blue as clos y as they can be arranged.

Figure 4 is a sectional view similar to" that of Figure 2, but greatly magnified, showing the supporting base having the inlay ele- Each of. the ele ents consists of a piece of paper-like materia and the elements are fitted together ments of paper-like material 2 secured to the base by a cement layer 3. The joints or cracks between the fitted elements are filled by'the material of the upper coating 4 .extending down in the cracks and serving as filling material 5.

Figure 5 illustrates another modification of the broad idea of having a fibrous porous sheet mounted on a supporting base andcontaining a transparent saturating filling material applied to an already previously decorated sheet. In this view a vertical section is shown through a textile fabric 2 which is mounted on a supporting base 1 by a cement coat 3. An upper finish coating 4 completes the article. Claims specific to this improvement are presented in my co-pending application Serial No. 196,815, filed June 6, 1927.

Figure 6 is another modification of the broad idea of a decorative sheet on a base and it shows in vertical section a sheet of crepe paper which is saturated after previous decoration. The base 1 supports the crepe paper sheet 2. A cement layer is indicated at 3 and an upper coating 4 is illustrated. Claims specific to this modification are presented in my copending application Serial No. 196,814, filed June 6, 1927.

One satisfactory coating material for the saturant filler involving the use of a cellulose ester may be made up from the following:

20 parts by weight of dry pyroxylin in a solvent mixture composed of 30 parts by weight of either or both butyl alcohol or amyl acetate plus 30 parts by weight of anhydrous denatured ethyl alcohol. Preferably a drying oil isadded, and resins and softeners may be incorporated as desired, as for example as softeners tri-cresyl phosphate of d-iethyl or dibutyl phth'alate.

In lieu of the cellulose ester a vegetable resin or gum may be made the base of the saturant when incorporated with dibutyl v phthalate or the like.v

Another form of saturant may be made up with the of so-called gum-plasticizers, q

of which dibutyl phthalate may be considered one example. parts used may be as follows for a suitable saturant formula:

Colloidal particles (such as zinc oxide, mica, r carbon black) 20 parts by weight Solvent 75 to 150 parts byweight- The upper wear coat of the finished article may have a transparent coating of a durable wear material having a pyroxylin or cellulose ester base, or any transparent -varnish will serve as the outer eoatingwith- In this connection, the

in the definition of this invention, although the cellulose type of coating is preferable.

The cement layer may be tinted or pigmented since by the use of a pigmented binder'the color of the base may be hidden, and this treatment may be particularly desirable in coverings having paper upper coatings which, to some extent, are somewhat transparent. A pigmented binder would prevent the unartistic nature of the base material .from being too much apparent. I

With the use of the cementing material, and particularly a pigmented or tinted cement, uneven surfaces on the base may be smoothed over or hidden. When a cement is used it is thus possible to have a coarser type of base than would be desirable if the decorative layer was placed directly on a rough base. As a supplemental smoothing material a coat of paint may be applied to a sheet of black felt or to the surface of burlap, and thereafter the cementing medium may be used between the coated base and the decorative fibrous layer. Such a paint coat would seal the base as far as its color is concerned and provide the base with a smoother surface to which to apply the upper'decorative sheet.

Wherever reference is made to printing of artistic effects, it is presumed that the printing is donewith dyes and penetrating inks,

as contrasted to the usual printing with paint, as performed in paint coated and decorated felt base floor coverings in which aint is relied upon to provide a surface wear ayer. I

I claim:

1. An inlay floor covering including a decorative layer comprising fitted elements each consisting of fibrous material containingdecorative efi'ects extending substantially throughout the thickness thereof and not closing the space between the fibrous particles, and each element being saturated with-a transparent saturant filling material which seals the decoration in the element and renders the element tough and durable for floor usage.

2. A fioor covering comprising a tough supseals the tinted decoration in the sheet, fills the voids between the fibrous particles and renders the sheet tough and fiexible'for floor usage, and mounting said decorated sheet on a flexible supporting base.

4. The process of manufacturing floor coverings of the smooth surface type, which process comprises tinting fibrous particles, forming such tinted particles into a sheet, impregnating the resultant sheet with a transparent saturant filling material which seals the tinted decoration in the sheet and fills the voids between the fibrous particles and renders the sheet tough and flexible for floor usage, and cementing said impregnated sheet to a flexible supporting base.

5. A floor covering comprising a tough supporting base, and mounted on said base a paper-like sheet having incorporated in its structure coloring matter extending throughout the thickness of said sheet, and, a transparent 'satufant filling material extending throughout said sheet and filling the pores thereof, and sealing the coloring matter and other ingredients of said sheet and'rendering said sheet tough and fiex'ible for floor usage, and a tinted cementing material extending between said base and said sheet and adherent to both and hiding the color of said base.

RALPH G. J AOKSON.

porting base and mounted thereon a decorative layer comprising fitted block elements each element consistlng of fibrous material containing decorative effects extending substantially throughout the thickness thereof, and each element being saturated with a transparent satu'rant filling material which impregnates the element and seals the decoration in the element and renders the element tough and durable for floor usage.

3. The process of manufacturing floor coverings of the smooth surface type, which proc 4 ess comprises tinting the fibrous particles of a porous fibrous sheet, and thereafter impregnating the previously tinted sheet with a transparent saturant filling material which 

